Want To Practice Building

[bombershredder]

If i just wanna practice what is the best stuff i could use. Should i get the blades and make the saws, buy second router, drill, etc. Is basswodd cheaper compared to otherwoods. Like plywood will work fine for a body what should i use for a neck and what should i use for the fretboard.

Also if i wanna practice airbrushing and i'm not at all good at art and stuff or even copying stuff.Should i take a few classes or F that and just practice with the airbrush?

EDIT: im gonna keep the airbrush on hold but i really wanna practice building. I was thinking i should build with plywood what do youthink, if i build one and it sucks really bad i'll use other woods, but i don't want o use ebony for the fretboard and make a thousand mistakes and well make a crappy guitar with decent wood. I wanna have some experience before building with good wood so what can ipractice with?

For eg routing on plywood before touing cavities on the body itself, also for fretting i was thinking i have 2 guitars old ones are those good enough to get used to fretting?

Edited December 17, 2005 by bombershredder

[Mattia]

Plywood ain't cheap, and it's lousy 'tonewood'. Don't skimp too much on woods: alder, poplar and basswood aren't that pricey, maple's tried and tested, indian rosewood fingerboards can be had for a decent price. If I build, I do it right. Good materials inspire me to do my absolute best. I'm going to pour sometimes hundreds of hours into an instrument, so I'm really not gonna be looking to save a couple dozen bucks on the cost of the instrument. I'm not saying get super expensive high figure quilt wood for your first, but get something that's at least decent.

Honestly, I'd say build with something decent. What if it comes out great? You'll be pissed that you skimped on materials because you wanted to do it on the cheap. If you're just practicing, not making any instruments with the stuff, just get construction grade pine or something. And then do it again and make a proper body. Practice procedures on scrap, on whatever. Fretting: get an old beater that at least plays, and refret it a few times if you want to. Play it afterwards, see what you like, what you didn't.

For tools, get a good router, get good bits. Buying cheap now and replacing with better later is more expensive in the long run (See under: false economy). You don't need a bandsaw (strictly speaking), and a simple jigsaw will do quite decently. You'll want a plane, and probably a sander, and a selection of other tools. Good tools are a pleasure, bad tools are a pain.

At the end of the day, you need to work out what works for you.

Me, I always build with at least decent materials. Shopping at a lumber yard instead of a lutherie supplier will also cut costs hugely; on an electric, the hardware and electronics generally cost a whole lot more than the wood does.

[Mickguard]

There's practice and then there's practice.

What I did: I went to the hardware store and bought a shopping cart full of scrap for 10 Euros...got some nice pieces of MDF out it, helped me with templates. And tons of plywood and fiberboard and assorted other planks.

What I do: I practice my 'moves' on the scrap first. That is, anything I'm going to do on my project, I do first on scrap. Especially when I preparing and testing templates (and I've learned to rely heavily on templates).

Once I'm confident I can carry out the step on the real guitar, I move to that. Sometimes, it only takes one practice run. Sometimes it takes me tons...and even weeks before I figure out how to get something right. In the end though, the guitar gets built, in the wood I want, and the results aren't bad.

So you're right to want to practice. But I wouldn't waste my time building a full scale guitar out of plywood or any other cheap material. As mattia says, tonewood isn't that expensive, considering.

Most essential tools I bought: a (cheapo) router and good-quality bits; pump-action clamps --got five, wouldn't mind a couple more: and double-sided tape. Oh yeah, and a respirator with dust and solvent filters, safety googles, and headphones.